French essentials for daily life (and pronunciation)

When moving to Geneva, speaking a few words of French makes daily life a lot easier, even if many locals speak English well. This guide covers the essentials: key phrases, how to pronounce them, and a few Swiss-only words you won’t find in your typical textbook.

Greetings and polite basics

• Bonjour – Hello / Good morning
  (bon-zhoor)
• Bonsoir – Good evening
  (bon-swahr)
• Merci – Thank you
  (mehr-see)
• S’il vous plaît – Please
  (seel voo pleh)
• Excusez-moi – Excuse me
  (ex-kew-zay mwah)
• Au revoir – Goodbye
  (oh ruh-vwar)
• Je ne parle pas bien français – I don’t speak French well
  (zhuh nuh parl pah byan frahn-seh)
• Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ? – Do you speak English?
  (ess-kuh voo parl-ay ahn-glay?)

Shopping and errands

• Combien ça coûte ? – How much does it cost?
  (kohm-byen sah koot)
• Je voudrais ceci / cela – I would like this / that
  (zhuh voo-dray suh-see / suh-lah)
• Où sont les toilettes ? – Where are the toilets?
  (oo sohn lay twah-let)
• Je paie par carte – I’ll pay by card
  (zhuh peh par kart)
• Le reçu, s’il vous plaît – The receipt, please
  (luh ruh-sew, seel voo pleh)

In a restaurant or café

• Je voudrais… – I would like…
  (zhuh voo-dray)
• La carte, s’il vous plaît – The menu, please
  (lah kart, seel voo pleh)
• L’addition, s’il vous plaît – The bill, please
  (la-dee-syon, seel voo pleh)
• C’était très bon – That was very good
  (say-teh tray bon)
• Un café / Une bière – A coffee / A beer
  (uh kah-fay / oon byair)

Using public transport

• Où est l’arrêt de bus ? – Where is the bus stop?
  (oo eh lah-ray duh boos)
• Le tram va à… ? – Does the tram go to…?
  (luh trahm vah ah…?)
• Je voudrais un billet, s’il vous plaît – I’d like a ticket, please
  (zhuh voo-dray uhn bee-yay, seel voo pleh)
• C’est quelle ligne ? – Which line is it?
  (say kel leen-yuh)
• À quelle heure passe le bus ? – What time does the bus come?
  (ah kel uhr pass luh boos)
• Je descends ici – I’m getting off here
  (zhuh day-sahn dee-see)

A few Swiss-only words to know

• Une panosse – A mop
  (pah-nosse)
  In France, this would be serpillière. You might hear this word in cleaning instructions or rental check-ins.
• Papier ménage – Paper towel / kitchen roll
  (pah-pyay meh-nahzh)
  In France, this is usually called essuie-tout or by the brand name Sopalin. In Switzerland, papier ménage is the standard term and appears on most packaging.
• Septante – Seventy
  (seh-tahnt)
  Replaces soixante-dix in all of French-speaking Switzerland.
• Huitante – Eighty
  (wee-tahnt)
  Used instead of quatre-vingts in most cantons, except Geneva where quatre-vingts is still common.
• Nonante – Ninety
  (noh-nahnt)
  Replaces quatre-vingt-dix in all of Suisse romande.
• Déjeuner – Lunch in France, breakfast in Switzerland
  (day-zhuh-nay)
  In French-speaking Switzerland, déjeuner refers to breakfast, what the French would call petit déjeuner. Meanwhile, the French déjeuner (lunch) is called diner in Switzerland.
• Diner – Dinner in France, lunch in Switzerland
  (dee-nay)
  This one can be confusing! In Geneva, diner means lunch. The evening meal, what the French call diner, is called souper in Switzerland.
• Souper – Dinner / evening meal
  (soo-pay)
  In France, diner is more common. In Geneva, souper is standard for the evening meal.

Final tips

• Genevans appreciate polite language. Always saying bonjour when entering a shop or office sets the tone for a positive exchange.
• If someone replies too quickly or uses words you don’t know, feel free to say: “Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît ?” – Can you speak more slowly, please?
  (poo-vay voo parl-ay plew lahn-tuh-mahn)
• If you haven’t done so already, I recommend to start learning French.